An agricultural firm has been fined £75,000 after a piece of machinery fell from a tractor and killed the driver of a car travelling on the same road.

Directors at J E Dale Farmers Ltd were ordered to pay the sum after pleading guilty to offences under section 3 of the Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974 - almost four years after the tragic incident in Howsham, near North Kelsey, which killed 82-year-old James Thompson.

Mr Thompson, of Carr Road, North Kelsey, had been travelling along the B1434 Main Street, Howsham, on August 16, 2013, when the arm of a seed drill, which was being towed by a tractor, fell in an uncontrolled manner and struck Mr Thompson's Volvo.

He suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene.

His wife, Margaret, who was also in the car and suffered minor injuries in the incident, attended Grimsby Crown Court to hear the guilty plea and the sentencing this afternoon (July 14).

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Thompson's son James, 46, said he wanted to raise awareness of what happened to his father and to urge other agricultural businesses against 'cutting corners.'

Mr James Thompson, who was killed in the tragic incident (Image: Submitted)

"If nothing else was to come from this case it's about raising awareness what can happen if corners are cut. Fundamentally, that's what happened on August 16, 2013," he said.

"Corners were cut and an unfortunate chain of events happened. We carry no blame against the driver.

"It was always obvious to us that it was the failings of the business that led to my father's death.

"We are slightly disappointed with the level of the fine but it just brings closure to something that has gone on for four years."

J E Dale of Pepperdale Farm, Howsham, pleaded guilty to the offences following an almost four year joint investigation by Humberside Police and the Health and Safety Executive Lincolnshire.

The tractor was towing a partly manufactured seed drill which had been recently collected from an agricultural engineer in Newton by Toft, near Market Rasen. At the time of the incident the seed drill had no functional hydraulics or safety equipment to ensure safe transportation on the highway.

The Volvo Mr Thompson was travelling in when the tragic incident happened (Image: Submitted)

The investigation by Humberside Police and the Health and Safety Executive concluded that J E Dale Farmers Limited had:

Failed to have in place an adequate system of transportation of the seed drill in relation to safety.

Failed to ensure that the equipment used in the transportation of the drill was adequate in relation to preventing the arms of the seed drill from dropping during transportation.

Failed to ensure that employees were adequately instructed and trained in relation to the safe transportation of the seed drill, including ensuring the adequacy of strapping or other fixing to ensure that the arms of the seed drill did not drop into an unsafe position during transportation.

Catherine Ainsworth, from the CPS said: “This was a tragic case in which Mr Thompson needlessly lost his life. Traumatically the incident was witnessed and experienced by his wife, a passenger in the vehicle. Our thoughts remain with Mrs Thompson and her family, as they have been throughout.

“The sentence handed down today emphasises the fundamental importance of observing health and safety measures in the workplace. This dreadful incident illustrates the fact that failing to have or neglecting to follow the correct procedures can result in the most tragic consequences. The Thompson family will live with those consequences forever.”

The directors of J E Dale Farmers Ltd declined to comment when approached by our sister paper, the Grimsby Telegraph.